MEDEL is observing with concern the recent development in Hungary represented by the agreement signed by the Ministry of Justice, the National Office for the Judiciary, the Curia and the National Judicial Council on November 20, 2024. As denounced in these days by the judges and their associations, the decision of the Council to finalise an agreement not preceded by an open and transparent debate within the judiciary, implied a “negotiation” with the government on the issue of salaries, without obtaining any guarantee whatsoever of financial security, in exchange for a reform that affects the whole functioning of the judicial system, and the present and future condition of each and every judge.
As MEDEL affirmed in its statement of July 24, 2024, the financial situation of the Hungarian judiciary developed into one of the most alarming situations as a clear demonstration of how, acting on the leverage of financial resources, governments can seriously and insidiously undermine the proper functioning of the Courts and judicial independence.
MEDEL wishes to reiterate its full support to the Hungarian judges and their associations that are now mobilised to denounce the violation of the principle of separation of powers and reaffirm that the independence and efficiency of Justice are values that cannot be bargained.
10.12.24
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